1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in solderless electrical connectors having a base and cover which close on the wires to be joined and in one aspect to the improved mechanical locking features for the cap to hold the same to the base member for shipping and handling prior to the making of a splice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention is directed at an improvement of the solderless connector described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,219, and as shown in Des. 191,399. The present invention also relates to U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,018, describing a new connector formed of a less rigid material, like a polyolefin, than the previously used polycarbonate material. The more flexible material provides many advantages, including the fact that it is more supple and elastic than polycarbonate. The good characteristics have also made it important to modify the structure of the basic parts of the connector to obtain the same performance. One change is to modify the cap and base design to secure the caps to the base and restrict the same from becoming dislodged and separated prior to the actual taking of the connectors out of the box or dispenser for use in splicing the wires.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,018 provided a new design for maintaining the cap and base assembled after making the insulation displacement wire connection. Parent application Ser. No. 642,534 is directed to an invention showing one structure for retaining a cap in place utilizing a mechanical latching design wherein a wedge shaped member resists the upward movement of the cap when assembled on the base prior to closing the cover on the base.
The present invention provides a further design for the cap and base to hold the members together prior to use, and one which makes the same easy to assemble and it has a self actuated retention system or lock generating feature if forces are applied tending to separate the caps from the base members during shipping and handling prior to the use of the connector ultimately to connect a plurality of wires.
The following patents do illustrate the use of caps and base members wherein the cap is formed with a rib which fits into a detent extending generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of the cap in relationship to the base when assembling the cap and base to complete a connection to a plurality of wires. Such patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,718,888, 3,804,971; 4,326,767; 4,444,448 and 4,496,206. These interfitting ridges and grooves do not work satisfactorily on circular telescoping members.
A pertinent patent which shows the use of a vertical rib on the cap and a vertical groove on the base is U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,449. This patent discloses a wire connector where there is interference fit between the telescopically inserted cap and the base up to the abutment 15 thereof. Further, there are grooves 17 in the side walls of the base 1 and complementary protrusions 19 on the upper cap 11 to provide proper orientation of the housing parts. The upper cap also supports metal contact element to cut through the insulation of the wires. In this device the parts, cap and base are formed of polycarbonate and they telescope together in the tapered opening 13 in the top of the base. There is no other teaching of the protrusions and grooves having an interference fit to hold the parts in the preassembled relationship. With the use of softer materials there needs to be adequate support to avoid the dislodging of the caps from the base.
The present invention affords an improvement in the cap retention means to restrict the cap from becoming dislodged from the base prior to assembly and which aids in maintaining the parts fixed after the telescopic insertion of the cap in the base.